Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Back to School Week: 'We've Got Perfect Chemistry' Bridal Shower

So it's back to school week for most! I have until next Tuesday and I'm actually kind of excited. I'm ready to keep chugging along with my education and get that Bachelor's degree hung on my wall! It may be awhile because I'm only taking part-time classes at Mount Marty BUT I'm doing the online Event/Wedding Planning and I am hoping to kick that in gear and be done before the new year! Anyways, I thought this chemistry inspired bridal shower was adorable and very fitting for the new school year! I hated hate hated chemistry but this makes it look fun! I found this shoot from Alder's Photography via StyleMePretty. Enjoy Sparklers!

From Alder’s Photography: Table Décor: Mai of Bunch Studio created the tablescape for the shower. The chocolate linens were covered in a paper runner that was comprised of graph and ruled paper. Not only was the runner full of chemistry notations, but personalized with little encouragements for the bride to be. The table was lined with floral gatherings of various blues, yellows, and creams in keeping with the turquoise and metallic color scheme. Test tube stands and books completed the look and were scattered throughout the arrangements. Metallic gold pipe cleaners made to look like atoms and metallic gold Styrofoam balls adorned the table for the finishing touch.

Dessert Table: Kayla of Nummie! took the science theme and ran with it, creating custom made desserts perfectly suited to the chemistry theme. She created Sugar Cookies in the shape of beakers, flasks, test tubes, and atoms. There were “Pretzel Test Tubes” covered in white or dark chocolate with almonds and dusted in silver powder and turquoise drizzle. She purchased beakers to house her “Mini Beaker Cakes” in two flavors: vanilla bean with white chocolate amaretto buttercream or chocolate with salted caramel buttercream. And she included “Cake Molecules” which were lemon cake with meyer lemon buttercream and white chocolate ganache center dipped in white chocolate and brushed with metallic dust.

Cake and Individual Cakes: Kristal of Sweet Love Co. created the 3-tiered cake as well as an individual exposed cake for each guest. The creations were a vanilla/chocolate medley filled with raspberry ganache wrapped in Italian cream frosting.

Stationaey: Angelique from Seafoam SAFARI on Etsy created the stationary for the shower. She custom designed the invitation, place cards, menu, Meghan’s chair sign, favor instructions, guest book instructions, and descriptions of the cake, desserts, bath salt scents (made to look like periodic elements), and cocktail. Using a custom logo as well as a signature font throughout, Angelique tied all the stationary together with turquoise and metallic gold coloring. She topped it all off with gocco press printing.

Menu: The menu was comprised of different categories of chemistry: analytical chemistry was the spirits, bio chemistry (soup), physical chemistry (sandwiches), organic chemistry (salad), environmental chemistry (sorbet), pharmaceutical chemistry (sips), and inorganic chemistry (sweets). The guests were invited to mix and mingle for the first hour of the shower, and were offered the shower’s signature cocktail (spirit): Blue Curacao and Blue Raspberry Cocktail infusion with Champagne. The other non-alcoholic drinks (sips) were lemonade, iced tea, or fruit infused water and were served in 3 ### flasks. Once seated, the guests enjoyed a four-course lunch that started with the soup: a delightful chilled gazpacho garnished with celery fronds. The second course was the sandwiches: breads layered with savory cream cheese, chicken salad, and egg salad fillings and garnished with rosemary. Third was the salad: mixed greens nestled in cucumber rounds, gorgonzola, spiced pecans, and garnished with a strawberry. The lunch was completed with the sorbet to cleanse the palette: a trio of lemon, lime, and raspberry scoops garnished with a raspberry and mint leaf.

Games: After Libations and Lunch, guests were invited to join the Bride in a time for Games and Gifts. Games were printed on graph paper as science experiments. Match the Bride’s Phrase, Name That Wedding Cake, and The Match Game brought on many laughs from the attendees. In Match the Bride’s Phrase, guests were give a sheet with a word and a blank. The correct answers were Meghan’s answers and whoever matched the Bride the most won. In Name That Wedding Cake guests were given clues and different cakes and had to match them up. For instance, “a cake you would enjoy in bed” was sheet cake. Whoever matched the cakes first won. And in The Match Game, the mad scientists lead the guests through matching phrases on two boards. Each phrase’s prize was an associated candy. For instance, the prize for “wedding coordinator” was Lifesavers and for “first dance” was Fun Dip.

Waiters: No chemistry bridal shower would be complete without two mad scientists to serve you! Bow ties purchased from Divine Domestication on Etsy in yellow and lab coats from a local costume shop created the look for the waiters.

Guest Book: I purchased a vintage 1894 chemistry lab book, complete with handwritten notes on each experiment for the guests to write their well wishes, advice, prayers, and support for Meghan and Josh in as the perfect keepsake from the shower. The book and a pencil in an adjacent beaker were laid out on a table along with the favors for the guests.

Favors: In keeping with the “perfect chemistry” theme, I wanted a favor that not only incorporated science materials, but also was a science experiment. So I purchased 3 scents of bath salts from ahavaus.com and displayed them in 1000 ml beakers with descriptions made to look like periodic table elements. The guests were invited to take a test tube and experiment with their favorite scent (or a mixture of all 3) to take home along with a natural sponge (purchased on eBay) for a relaxing bath.

Misc Décor: An M and a J were purchased from Paper Source and covered with a “vintage laboratory experiment” paper from Dancing Bird Arts on Etsy. The downloadable image was customized with a turquoise hue before being printed to cover the letters.